Scottish Executive

Aggregates Tax

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to reports of illegal quarrying taking place in Scotland as a consequence of the introduction of the aggregates tax.

Allan Wilson: Aggregates tax is a reserved matter and falls under the responsibility of HM Treasury. I am content that planning and environmental controls are adequate for quarrying. These include a range of enforcement powers available to planning authorities if extractions are taking place without the benefit of planning permission. If materials are being sold commercially without payment of the aggregates tax, then this is a matter for HM Customs and Excise.

Alcohol Misuse

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to tackle bed blocking involving people with alcohol-related illnesses.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Executive has provided £30 million in 2003-04 to local authority and NHS partnerships to address the problem of delayed discharge. The partnerships are implementing local joint action plans that aim to reduce the number of delayed discharges in their area. These plans target all delays, including people with alcohol-related illnesses.

Alcohol Misuse

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance has been given to the Drinkwise campaign and what level of funding will be awarded to it for the next three years.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Executive gave a total of £1,282,130 to support Drinkwise from 1996 until March 2003 when the campaign was superseded by the Executive’s Healthy Living Alcohol campaign.

Alcohol Misuse

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when additional funding will be provided for its implementation of its plan for action on alcohol problems in (a) Renfrewshire and (b) Scotland.

Mr Tom McCabe: The partnership agreement commits the Executive to increasing resources to tackle alcohol problems. Decisions on the level of future funding will be made following a review of the scale of the problem and submission of outstanding financial information from local alcohol action teams.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it expects to distribute the additional £65 million funding recently announced for tackling anti-social behaviour.

Ms Margaret Curran: We are currently considering how the additional funding will be allocated to ensure that it supports the Executive strategy to tackle anti-social behaviour strategy as effectively as possible. An announcement will be made in the coming months.

Archives

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve and promote record keeping and archives in Scottish public authorities.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive is developing a Scottish public records strategy which will take a fundamental look at existing legislation, guidance, standards and practices relating to Scottish public records, together with the roles and functions of the key stakeholders and how they are resourced. As a first step, officials are making arrangements to hold a series of informal workshops with representatives of key stakeholders (public authorities, users of records and archives, records managers and archivists, etc). The first of these will take place in November and the outcome of the workshops will form the basis of a formal consultation exercise in 2004.

  When completed, the strategy will set out measures for managing Scottish public records in the 21st century, ensuring that the appropriate records are kept, maintained, preserved and are accessible to the public. It will seek to improve the quality and consistency of records management and archive arrangements across the public sector. This should help to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of authorities, enabling them to meet their legal and other obligations more easily. The strategy will also seek to promote archives and improve their accessibility. Interest in genealogical tourism and historical research has been growing significantly in recent years, with benefits for the Scottish economy generally. Efficient and comprehensive archive services are essential to meet this demand.

Autism

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the returns from local authorities on the number of individuals with autism and Asperger's syndrome in their areas.

Mr Tom McCabe: Information from the audit of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) services from local authorities and NHS boards is currently being analysed for presentation to the ASD Reference Group at its next meeting on 3 November. The information will be published on the Scottish Executive website thereafter.

Conservation

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what protection endangered flora and fauna at Aucheninnes bog, Dalbeattie, are receiving.

Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3084 on 29 October 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search ..

Drug Misuse

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the name and location is of each registered (a) residential and (b) day-care drug rehabilitation centre; how many people have been referred to each centre, and by whom each centre has been funded, in each of the last five years.

Mr Tom McCabe: Information about individual residential and non-residential drug services, including numbers of clients, is available in the corporate action plans submitted by drug action teams. These are available at www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org .

  This source does not distinguish between registered and unregistered services, nor does it hold information about the funding of each service.

  Registration of care homes for residential drug rehabilitation purposes and support services (day-care) is a matter for the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care.

  Information on statutory, and voluntary sector operated, drugs services is also held by the Scottish Drugs Forum and can be accessed via their website www.sdf.org.uk. The Know the Score (KTS) Directory of Drug Services is currently being updated, and will be available in hard copy and on the KTS website (www.knowthescore.info) shortly.

Education

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is with regard to national testing and league tables.

Euan Robson: We are currently consulting on proposed changes to the system of national testing for pupils aged between 5 and 14, including replacing existing national test materials with a web-based national assessment bank and replacing the current 5-14 survey with a more rigorous system for monitoring achievement at a national level – the Scottish Survey of Achievement.

  For the position on the separate issue of league tables, I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3475 lodged by Rhona Brankin and answered on 24 October 2003.

Energy Conservation

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to implement Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and Council on the energy performance of buildings.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Executive is working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on the implementation of the Directive, and is represented on an Office of the Deputy Prime Minister implementation group.

Environment

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it next plans to meet representatives from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and what issues will be discussed.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is in daily contact with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on a range of issues relating to the protection of Scotland’s environment.

Environment

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-307 by Ross Finnie on 4 June 2003, what the outcome was of the discussions between it and Her Majesty's Government regarding an alleged breach of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive; how many meetings it had with Her Majesty's Government on the issue; who attended such meetings, and what other organisations, public bodies or individuals were invited to participate in these discussions.

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-307 by Ross Finnie on 4 June 2003, whether it will publish any evidence presented at, and minutes of, meetings between it and Her Majesty's Government on an alleged breach of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.

Ross Finnie: The alleged breach of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive being referred to concerns sewage discharges into the Kilbarchan Burn.

  Following discussions with the Scottish Executive, referred to in question S2W-307, Her Majesty’s Government responded to the European Commission regarding the circumstances of the case and the actions taken. At present there has been no further approach made by the Commission on this matter. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search..

European Union

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the European Commission to oppose measures which would adopt the proposal from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) that a bacteriophage should be run over 20 degrees over five days; whether such a regulation, if introduced, would have an adverse impact on the shellfish industry in Scotland, and whether it will provide the Parliament with details of its policy on this proposal and publish copies of any representations that it has made or will make.

Mr Tom McCabe: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that no such representations have been made to the European Commission as the work on bacteriophages has yet to be completed. CEFAS has been commissioned by the EU Commission to carry out research to contribute to the development of EU proposals on viruses in shellfish. The Commission is working with all member states to develop this work with a view to possible issue of formal proposals by the end of this year. The FSA will consult all stakeholders and an impact assessment will be carried out when the proposals become available. The current information, proposals and subsequent work will be made available to the Parliament.

European Union

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21028 by Mr Jim Wallace on 28 January 2002, whether Scottish ministers have officially led any further UK Delegations to the Council of Ministers and, if so, whether it will provide similar details to those provided in the answer.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive ministers have not led any further UK delegations to EU Councils.

Fisheries

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking, and will take, to promote the fishing industry in Scotland.

Mr Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking, and will take, to protect and promote the fishing industry in Scotland.

Ross Finnie: The December Council this year promises to be a difficult negotiation. However, given that there are some encouraging signs in relation to cod recovery, my objective will be to assist fish processors and others by resisting closure while pressing on with the cod recovery programme.

Fisheries

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take forward the suggestion of closed areas for conserving cod stocks in the North Sea, proposed by Scottish fishermen, to the EU Fisheries Council in December 2003.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive will consider all reasonable arguments for securing cod recovery, especially those that have been developed with or by fishermen themselves. We will aim to promote a balanced package of effective and equitable measures. Its precise content will depend on the progress of prior negotiations in Council working groups.

Fisheries

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that there are no negative impacts of sea lice originating from fish farms.

Allan Wilson: No.

Health

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits will accrue to patients from the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract and the Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill.

Malcolm Chisholm: Over 90% of patients’ contact with the NHS begins and ends in primary care. An effective and efficient primary care service is essential for the health needs of the people of Scotland. The new GMS contract will help to improve the range and quality of services available to patients through a number of measures.

  Resources will increase by 33% over three years. That means an extra £142 million being invested in primary care. GPs will have extra money to offer a range of enhanced services which should mean that patients will find it easier to access more services nearer their home, instead of being required to travel to the local hospital for treatment.

  With the introduction of a quality and outcomes framework, practices will be encouraged and incentivised to provide a first class service. High achievement against the quality standards will bring high financial rewards to practices and improved standards of care to patients.

  Patients will also have the opportunity to express their views about the services provided by the practice as part of this quality framework, creating further incentives for improvements in patient care.

  A patient service guarantee ensures that patients will continue to be offered at least the range of services they currently receive under the existing contract. Health boards will be under a duty to ensure that the full range of primary medical services is available for people in its area. So if a practice wants to opt out of a service, the board will have to ensure that patients still have access to that type of treatment.

  The practice based contract will help develop the multi-disciplinary approach that we are already seeing in parts of Scotland. GPs, nurses, pharmacists, health visitors and a range of allied health professionals will pool their skills to provide better services in their local communities.

  Finally, the new Scottish allocation funding formula has been specifically designed to ensure a fairer resource allocation based on the needs of patients.

Health

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-690, S2W-1162 and S2W-1163 by Mr Tom McCabe on 27 June and 16 July 2003, why small oxygen cylinders are not currently available on GP prescription.

Mr Tom McCabe: As I announced on 6 October 2003, GP prescribing of portable oxygen will be introduced in April 2004. The timing of its introduction is designed to ensure that an effective means of supply and distribution will be in place to meet the needs of all patients in Scotland who can benefit.

  In the meantime, a study is to be undertaken to consider the possible benefit to patients of alternative methods of supply and distribution of portable oxygen. Additionally, consideration is to be given to the possible benefits of making conservation devices available on the NHS in Scotland.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what training is available to ensure that NHS staff understand the needs of patients with Alzheimer's disease who are receiving treatment in hospital for other health conditions.

Mr Tom McCabe: Patients can respond better and perhaps faster to treatment if their mental health needs are addressed alongside their physical needs. A Scottish Needs Assessment Programme 2002 report, Liaison Psychiatry and Psychology (Bib. number 29705), underlined the importance we attach to identifying the whole person needs of all patients in this regard. With this in mind and as part of their training, all NHS professionals receive training in working with confused patients, including those with Alzheimer’s disease. Local health systems lead on all aspects of in service training.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on ensuring that relatives of hospital patients with Alzheimer's disease are provided with sufficient information about their relatives' treatment.

Mr Tom McCabe: Carers are key partners in the care of the people they look after. The Scottish Executive's Strategy for Carers in Scotland  (November 1999, Bib. number 15679) underlines the importance of ensuring that carers have as much information as possible about the health and treatment of the person they care for in order to help them in their caring role. This should be provided in line with patient confidentiality and the protections afforded under the Adults With Incapacity ( Scotland ) Act 2000.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued a code of guidance to NHS staff to ensure that patients with Alzheimer ' s disease receive appropriate care in hospital.

Mr Tom McCabe: The report of the Chief Medical Officer’s expert group on the health care of older people, Adding Life to Years , published in 2001 (Bib. number 18916) included recommendations on early detection, awareness, recognition and treatment of older people’s mental health needs. Rapid assessment, consideration of care options, access to modern drug treatments where appropriate and planned follow up were also covered.

  I look to NHS Scotland and their care partners to respond positively to these considered recommendations.

Housing

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the availability of affordable housing across the Highlands.

Ms Margaret Curran: Since 1998-99 we have doubled to £19.28 million the spend that Communities Scotland provides in the Highlands and Islands for the provision of affordable housing.

  In addition, I was particularly pleased to be able to announce at the Convention of the Highlands and Islands in Stornoway on 7 October that a further £10 million would be directed to affordable housing opportunities in rural Scotland over the two years 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Housing

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to help families living in overcrowded conditions.

Ms Margaret Curran: Tackling overcrowding by rehousing families where this is necessary should be a priority for the allocation policies of all social landlords. To increase the amount of affordable housing available generally, the Executive is providing £237 million through Communities Scotland in 2003-04 to help build or improve some 6,000 homes.

Landfill

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is with regard to the discharge of surface water from landfill sites.

Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3080 on 23 October 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search ..

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are currently diagnosed with depression, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Mr Tom McCabe: Information on the actual number of people diagnosed with depression by age and gender is not held centrally. The available figures for depression are based on those from a sample of 70 GP practices representing a combined population of 424,484. The table shows the estimated number of patients seen by their GP with a diagnosis of depression, by age and gender, in the year ending December 2002.

  Estimated Number of Patients Seen for Depression, Year Ending 31 December 2002

  

 Age Group (Years)
 Males
 Females


 0-14
 300
 750


 15-24
 9,250
 23,150


 25-44
 30,750
 84,750


 45-64
 25,250
 55,500


 65-74
 5,150
 12,900


 75-84
 3,300
 8,300


 85 and over
 700
 2,350



  Source: Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR), ISD Scotland.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) males and (b) females currently diagnosed with depression in the under 14s group are (i) under five and (ii) five or older.

Mr Tom McCabe: Information on the actual number of people diagnosed with depression in the under 14 age groups is not held centrally. Estimates based upon a sample of 70 Scottish General Practices representing a combined population of 424,484 indicates that approximately 300 males and 750 females aged 0-14 years were seen by their GP in Scotland in the year ending December 2002 with a diagnosis of depression. This data cannot be further refined by age.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths in the last three years were the result of a mental illness, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Hugh Henry: Deaths in Scotland are coded using the Tenth Revision of the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD10). Some 98% of deaths coded to the "Mental and Behavioural Disorders" chapter of ICD10 are due to vascular or unspecified dementia (overwhelmingly amongst the elderly) or use of psychoactive substances (including alcohol and drugs). The table gives information on the remaining deaths from mental and behavioural disorders. These cover a wide range of conditions including schizophrenia, mood (affective) disorders, neurotic disorders, and mental retardation.

  Deaths from Selected Mental and Behavioural Disorders1, by Age and Gender, Scotland 2000-02

  

 Year
 Gender
 All ages
 Age 
  Group





 0-14
 15-29
 30-44
 45-59
 60-74
 75+


 2000
 M
 11




 3
 8



 F
 24



 1
 3
 20













 2001
 M
 7





 7



 F
 19

 1
 1
 1
 3
 13













 2002
 M
 12
 1

 1
 1
 2
 7



 F
 16
 1

 1

 2
 12



  Note:

  1ICD10, F20-F99

National Archives of Scotland

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to promote, develop and modernise the National Archives of Scotland and, if so, whether any additional funding will be made available, specifying the amount and timescale.

Tavish Scott: Promotion, development and modernisation of the National Archives of Scotland is a continuing process, supported by the Scottish Executive.

  At present, the Scottish Executive is providing £10 million to fund the refurbishment of HM General Register House, which is now at an advanced stage.

  Additionally, the Scottish Executive is providing £1.6 million to the ScotlandsPeople project, which will provide a single, new, integrated facility where the main sources for family history research can be accessed, and £38,000 over two years for the Scottish Archives for Schools project.

National Health Service

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with NHS board officials regarding the future of the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: I and my colleague, the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care meet NHS board chairs, Chief Executives and other NHS officials regularly to discuss a wide range of issues relating to the health service in Scotland.

National Health Service

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of any risk assessment carried out by NHS Scotland; what the top 20 risks in the NHS are, showing how risk associated with health compares with other forms of risk, and how any such assessment influences its priorities and objectives.

Malcolm Chisholm: Like any major organisation, NHSScotland sees the management of risk as an important issue. Within the NHS there are a number of types of risk, such as clinical, non-clinical, financial, systems, business and project and these risks are assessed and managed in different ways. For example, clinical and non-clinical risks are managed through the Healthcare Risk Management Standards established by the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS) and, to a lesser extent by the Generic Clinical Governance Standards introduced by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS). Work is currently under way for these standards to be integrated into a single set to be managed by NHS QIS.

  Regular appraisal of risk and assessment of NHS bodies against the CNORIS/NHS QIS risk management standards is an important aspect for NHSScotland mitigating its exposure to risk. However, as risk falls into differing categories, no register of the top 20 risks in NHSScotland is maintained centrally.

Public Private Partnerships

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the financial security of construction firms engaged in PFI/PPP contracts.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive recommended guidance for PPP projects states that any public sector client undertaking a PPP project should complete comprehensive reviews of potential bidders. This will be carried out by advisers appointed by the public sector client, and will include information on bidders’ financial security. Similar reviews will also be carried out in projects that are procured conventionally.

Public Private Partnerships

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-921 and S2W-1711 by Ross Finnie on 14 July and 21 August 2003 respectively, and to question S2W-1713 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 22 August 2003, when it now expects the contract for Dumfries and Galloway Council' s waste management and recycling PPP contract to be signed.

Ross Finnie: Negotiations between Dumfries and Galloway Council and the PPP contract preferred bidder are still taking place. The outcome of these negotiations will determine when the waste management and recycling PPP contract is signed.

  The Scottish Executive is currently waiting to receive a copy of the final business case.

Recycling

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what infrastructure it will have in place by 2005 to manage the increase in re-use and recycling of electrical and electronic goods that the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Directive will bring about.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no plans to put such infrastructure in place itself. The intent of the Directive is to ensure that manufacturers and importers of electronic and electrical equipment are responsible for securing the re-use and recycling of substantial proportions of waste equipment, and for the safe disposal of the residual. Through consultation exercises, and in discussions with the industry in co-operation with SEPA and with UK authorities, we are encouraging businesses to prepare for these regulations.

Research

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the report on the review of the Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes will be published.

Ross Finnie: SEERAD is carrying out a periodic peer review (Research Organisation Assessment Exercise) of the Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes it sponsors. This review process is still in progress but a summary of the outcome is expected to be issued next year as part of the Department’s new research strategy.

Research

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding from its Environment and Rural Affairs Department to the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute has been reduced and, if so, what the reasons were.

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department to the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute since the inception of the division.

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be allocated to the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute over the next two years.

Ross Finnie: CHARIS is a joint initiative by the Hannah Research Institute and the Scottish Agricultural College, set up with funding support from the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise to deliver research, technology and advisory services for the Scottish food industry.

  The detailed business plan for the initiative envisaged a substantial increase in commercial income, which would offset the planned reduction in Scottish Executive funded research, on account of the substantial body of research already funded in this area by the Executive, and a reduced requirement for further publicly funded research.

  SEERAD has provided CHARIS Food Research with funding of £1 million, £0.9 million and £0.8 million in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 respectively. For 2004-05 and 2005-06 planned funding is £0.6 million and £0.4 million respectively.

Research

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an assessment has been made of the performance of the CHARIS Food Research Division of the Hannah Research Institute and, if so, whether the report of the assessment will be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Ross Finnie: SEERAD is carrying out a periodic peer review (Research Organisation Assessment Exercise) of the research carried out at the agricultural and biological research institutes that it sponsors including the Hannah Research Institute. The review process is not yet complete. The review report on the Hannah Research Institute assessment will cover both biomedical and food research. All review reports are compiled on a confidential basis.

Scottish Executive Finance

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much capital expenditure has been committed since 1 May 2003 and to how many projects, broken down by project.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information on a project by project basis is not held centrally, but details of the Scottish Executive’s capital expenditure for 2003-06 are given in Table 0.05 of the 2004-05 Draft Budget. The website of the Executive’s Financial Partnerships Unit www.scotland.gov.uk/pfi/list.asp provides information about public private partnership projects in Scotland. In addition, specific information about capital expenditure in the health service can be found at:

  www.show.scot.nhs.uk/pfcu/.

Scottish Executive Finance

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many projects it inherited from the former Scottish Office to which capital expenditure had been committed and what the capital value was of each project.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Scottish Executive Finance

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the 26 minor projects, budgeted through the "Miscellaneous" section of the Other Enterprise and Lifelong Learning budget in its Draft Budget 2004-05 will be and what each project will cost.

Mr Andy Kerr: The table details the budget heading and the costs for each minor project as mentioned in the Draft Budget 2004-05 for the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.

  Enterprise And Lifelong Learning - Other Miscellaneous - Breakdown

  

 (LEVEL 4)
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06



 £000
 £000
 £000


 ESF 
  Programmes


 Consultancies
 400
 200
 200


 Higher 
  Education and Science Sub Programmes


 Multi-regional International 
  Business Programme
 15
 15
  15


 Public Understanding 
  of Science
 130
 135
 140


 Chevening Scholarships
 100
 100
 100


 Attracting International 
  Students
 170
 170
 170


 Scottish Scientific 
  Advisory Committee
 150
 160
 170


 Newbattle Abbey College
 8
 8
  8


 HSS Consultancy
 50
 50
 50


 Funding 
  For Learners Sub Programme


 Student Support Publicity
 100
 50
 50


 Further 
  and Adult Education Sub Programmes


 Skill in Scotland
 35
 35
  35


 General
 200
 200
 200


 Employment 
  & Welfare to Work Sub Prog.


 Local Learning Partnerships
 150
 150
 150


 Enterprise 
  Network Sub Programmes


 General
 51
 51
 51


 Convention of the 
  Highlands & Islands
 15
 15
 15


 Energy 
  and Corporate Services Division


 Promotion
 200
 200
 200


 Investment 
  Assistance Division


 Industrial Scientific 
  Advisors
 40
 40
 40


 SIDAB
 2
 2
 2


 Debt Recovery Charges
 4
 4
 4


 RSA IT Charges
 4
 4
 4


 Scottish 
  Development International Sub Programme


 Scottish Exports 
  Forum
 2
 2
 2


 Business 
  Growth Unit Sub Programme


 BGU Small Business 
  Consultative Group
 2
 2
 2


 Enterprise 
  & Industry Division Sub Programmes


 Scottish Manufacturing 
  Steering Group
 10
 5
 5


 Digital 
  Scotland Unit


 Broadband Pathfinders
 0
 0
 0


 Transitions 
  to Work


 Schools Enterprise 
  Programme
 300
 0
 0


 Teacher Placement/Other 
  Education Enterprise
 200
 0
 0


 Publicity for Schools 
  Enterprise Programme
 0
 0
 0

Social Inclusion Partnerships

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any criminal prosecution has resulted from any investigation of a project funded by a social inclusion partnership in Glasgow.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Glasgow City Council is the accountable body for social inclusion partnerships in Glasgow and handles all financial matters. No criminal prosecution has resulted from any investigation of a project funded by a social inclusion partnership in Glasgow.

Social Inclusion Partnerships

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any criminal prosecution has resulted from any investigation of a project funded by a social inclusion partnership.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Councils are the accountable bodies for social inclusion partnerships and handle all financial matters. No criminal prosecution has resulted from any investigation of a project funded by a social inclusion partnership.

Social Inclusion Partnerships

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a report commissioned by it from Cambridge Economic Policy Associates stated that social inclusion partnership boards are being filled by "Labour placemen", as referred to by Shona Robison MSP in the debate on Closing the Opportunity Gap on 4 September 2003 ( Official Report , col 1361).

Ms Margaret Curran: The report commissioned by Communities Scotland from Cambridge Economic Associates, Developing a Transition Framework for Social Inclusion Partnerships: Interim Programme Review , did not state that social inclusion partnership boards are being filled by "Labour placemen".

Sport

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what rates relief is available to non-profit-making sports clubs.

Mr Andy Kerr: Non-profit-making sports clubs in Scotland are able to receive 80% mandatory rate relief if they register as charities with the Inland Revenue. Local authorities have discretionary powers to top up this relief up to the maximum 100%. Sports clubs that do not meet the requirements for mandatory rate relief are eligible for up to 100% discretionary rate relief from their local authority; this is fully funded by the Scottish Executive. Sport clubs which occupy premises with a rateable value of £10,000 or less are eligible for between 5% and 50% small business rate relief.

Water Industry

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle the illegal use of lead solder in drinking water pipes.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is taking action on several fronts to tackle the illegal use of lead solder. These include:

  working with the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation to reiterate that the use of leaded solder on drinking water plumbing is illegal, and to discourage the practice;

  working with Scottish Water to strengthen their byelaws which enforce the ban on the use of lead solder in all buildings supplied by the public water supply (though stiffer penalties and an improved monitoring regime);

  asking the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health to undertake further research to assess the scale of the problem and the impact of measures taken to date;

  looking at how the new building standards system proposed for 2005 might also encourage proper plumbing practice through the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, and

  providing information and advice to the public on the safe use of drinking water, for instance the "Be Water Wise" leaflet.

Water Industry

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times it has issued orders to Scottish Water under regulation 14 of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (Scotland) Regulations 1994; what the reasons were for issuing the orders; what locations were involved, and what the outcomes were in each case.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has issued one default order to Scottish Water under regulation 14 of the 1994 regulations.

  The order was issued because one of the previous water authorities had failed to comply with a number of completion dates given in previous undertakings to Scottish ministers, leaving the Executive with no option but to invoke the default order provisions in regulation 14.

  Two waste water projects (Meadowhead/Stevenson/Inverclyde) and Dalmuir; and Rothesay were involved. In all cases, the revised compliance dates were achieved.

Water Industry

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S2W-2537 by Ross Finnie on 25 September 2003, whether it will consider taking forward recommendations 6.5, 6.6, 6.7 and 6.8 of the Water Customer Consultation Panels' report Principles of Charging for Water and Waste Water.

Ross Finnie: For the financial year 2004-05, the recommendations at 6.5, 6.6, and 6.8 will be considered by Scottish Water and the Water Industry Commissioner as part of that year’s charges scheme. With regards to recommendation 6.7, the current transitional household reduction scheme was set up to help households adjust to increased charges. It will come to an end in March 2004. Issues of affordability for domestic customers will continue to be addressed through the link to council tax band and associated discounts.